Private Lessons

NOW is the time to sign up for private lessons.

Private lessons are a must for any serious musician. It is simply not possible to receive individualized attention during a band class. Private lessons are an opportunity to work on YOUR weaknesses while also building on YOUR strengths. Lessons should also be an opportunity to discover new and exciting music and instruments from around the world.

PRIVATE LESSONS ARE AN INVESTMENT, so be sure to spend your money wisely. Seek a fundamentals-based teacher with real experience (playing and teaching) on ALL percussion instruments. Percussion students enrolled in band are expected to excel on 3 main instruments: snare drum, mallets (xylophone, marimba, etc.) and timpani. Drumset, while one of my personal favorites, is rarely used in band class. Because of the wide-range of instruments and material involved in studying percussion, full, 1-hr lessons are essential.

You have options when choosing a teacher—make an informed decision.

Before choosing a teacher, do a little background checking:

What kind of performing experience does this teacher have?
Is (s)he still playing, and which instruments?
Does the teacher hold a degree in music?
What kind of teaching experience and track record does this teacher have?

Many experienced teachers will have web pages, myspace or facebook pages containing the answers to most of these questions. If not, ask.

People study for different reasons—Be upfront with your goals:

Are you looking for an introduction to music/percussion/drumming?
Do you want to focus on one instrument/area in particular?
Are you preparing to audition for All-State, College, etc?
Or, are you just looking to have fun playing drums each week?

Each of these situations is a great reason to study, but you’ll want to be sure you and your teacher are on the same page and share the same goals.

Once you find a god match, challenge your teacher! Each week, make it your goal to impress your teacher by going above and beyond what you were assigned. While having a private teacher offers a huge advantage, it's like anything else: You get out what YOU put in. Finally, be sure to take advantage of all the FREE resources available online (like my Youtube video collection :) www.youtube.com/jasoncurrin